The Lake County Captains got to hit the showers after the top of the ninth inning as they beat the South Bend Silver Hawks, 5-3. Lake County had three errors in the game, but used a home run from Dorssys Paulino and two RBIs from Grant Fink to take the victory. Dace Kime picked up the W with eight strikeouts in five innings while Ben Heller got the save after fanning all three batters he faced.

The Lake County Captains had a brief 3-1 week as the first half of the season came to a close. Overall, the first half has been tough for the squad as they post a league-worst 27-43 record and sit 14 games out of first place in the Eastern Division. Despite some severe offensive struggles, the team has boasted some bright spots, including a solid first half from pitcher Robbie Aviles and a breakout performance from infielder Paul Hendrix. Stephanie Metzger recaps the past week went for the Captains, who will regroup to begin the second half of the season June 19.

It’s been awhile since we last posted a Hot List. Such is the way things work once the draft season kicks in. The IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at all of the good and some not so good performances in the Indians minor league system so far in June and provides insight and information into the struggles for Cody Anderson, the hot hitting Tyler Naquin and Carlos Moncrief, the hot pitching of Luis Lugo and Ryan Merritt, and much more.

The Dayton Dragons (36-32) avoided the sweep on the final day of the first half of the 2014 Midwest League season with a walk-off win over the Lake County Captains (27-43) 3-2 in 11 innings on Sunday. The Captains completed the first half with a 27-43 record and a 6-3 record in extra-innings.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the hitters last week, today we focus on the pitchers. It is still early enough that there is some noise in the numbers, but at this point in the season, we are starting to see some interesting trends emerge. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks it all down, including Carolina left-hander Ryan Merritt continuing to dominate at the High-A level, Lake County left-hander Luis Lugo's slightly hidden greatness, and much more.

The Lake County Captains (27-42) tamed the Dayton Dragons (35-32) with a 5-1 victory behind a solid pitching performance. Lefty Luis Lugo (4-4,4.56) countered Dayton right-hander Sal Romano (4-5, 3.42) for the start. Lugo, who had a rough start to his season, was coming off a trio of impressive previous starts. That remained the case on Saturday.

The Lake County Captains (26-42) defeated the Dayton Dragons (35-31) Friday night at Fifth Third Field by the score of 5-0. After scoring early and often in the series finale Thursday night against the South Bend Silver Hawks, the Captains once again played from in front after they scored first in the top of the third inning.

Nights like Clint Frazier had on Thursday have not come as frequently as we would like for the center fielder so far in 2014, but while Frazier is struggling a bit this year, putting up big stats this season is not the real goal. It is more important right now for Frazier to learn about the grind that is the minor league season, just like another top prospect a few years ago with. Join Jim Piascik as he explains Frazier's situation in more detail, breaks down Carlos Moncrief's recent surge, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Lake County Captains piled on a season-high nine runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 13-6 victory against the South Bend Silver Hawks. South Bend managed 10 hits, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome the 15 hits and scoring parade from Lake County. The Captains overcame two errors in the field for their 25th win of the season.

The Lake County Captains (24-42) split a 4-4 week, including a sweep of a rain makeup double-header June 5. The team managed to keep most games tight, except for June 6, which resulted in a 14-4 blowout loss. The team remains the worst-hitting squad in the league and the pitching sits among the bottom half of the Midwest League, but they're finding small ways to win. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recaps the Captains' previous week.

Nick Swisher and the energy he brings to everything he does was back in Canal Park Wednesday for the second straight night as the first baseman continued his rehab assignment. After a bit of a down game Tuesday, Swisher looked the part of a major leaguer, lining two doubles and totaling three hits. Jim Piascik was there Wednesday and spoke with Swisher, along with other coaches and players, about the state of his knee and how ready the first baseman is to rejoin the big league roster. Join Jim as he details Swisher's night and recaps the rest of the action in the system as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Lake County Captains found themselves down 4-0 going into the seventh inning against the South Bend Silver Hawks, and a three-run seventh wasn't enough to cover that gap. Lake County ended up losing the game, 5-3, as its record fell to 24-42 on the year. Starter Jordan Milbrath gave up four runs on six hits over five innings of work.

The Lake County Captains took a 3-0 lead early against the Dayton Dragons and never looked back. Lake County won by a final of 5-2 after Eric Haase hit a three-run home run in the third inning. Luis Lugo got his fourth win of the season after pitching six innings with three hits, one run and striking out 10 Dragon batters.

The Lake County Captains (23-40) fell to the Dayton Dragons (32-29) Sunday afternoon by the score of 4-2. The game's first pitch was originally scheduled for 1:30 PM, but due to a prolonged rain delay, the game did not actually start until 2:04 PM. Paid attendance was 2,085.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the pitchers last week, today we focus on the hitters. It is still early enough that there is some noise in the numbers, but at this point in the season, we are starting to see some interesting trends emerge. One of those trends is Akron outfielder Tyler Naquin continuing to hit in Double-A and how it is starting to look more sustainable. Join Jim Piascik as he takes you into The WAR Room.

The Lake County Captains (23-39) came back to defeat the Dayton Dragons (31-29) 4-3 with a three-run ninth inning. Lake County walked-off for the seventh time, courtesy of right fielder Logan Vick’s three-run double.

After playing 14 innings of baseball on Thursday, the Captains gave up that same number of hits and runs to the TinCaps on Friday, as Fort Wayne demolished Lake County in the final game of a three-game set by a final score of 14-4.

Thursday may have been the day the organization begins adding new players to the organization, but for all of the minor leaguers already in the system, it was just another day. Akron RubberDucks starter Cody Anderson pitched just like he has lately, which is good considering the turnaround the right-hander has undergone recently. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Anderson's rebound, Zach McAllister's rehab start, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Lake County Captains totaled 12 runs as they took both games of a doubleheader against the Fort Wayne TinCaps Thursday. After Wednesday's game was postponed, the Captains and Fort Wayne each managed 10 hits in the first game, and eight hits in the second, but Lake County ended with the scoring touch. The Captains used the wins to move to 22-38 on the season.

In today’s Minor Happenings the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the comeback that right-handed reliever Tyler Sturdevant is making, why he has had so much success this season and where he fits into the Indians’ Major League plans. He also looks at infielder Paul Hendrix’s outstanding month of May and All Star snub, how left-hander Luis Lugo is having an excellent season that many are not even aware he is having and how infielder Audy Ciriaco has been a man of many hats and been one of the Indians better minor league signings at Triple-A in some time.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!